Scout Traveler SUV Green Off-Road Concept
- Thread starter Jamie@ScoutMotors
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Probably not. However, a full blown air suspension would be nice.
A buddy that solid axle swapped his 100 Series Land Cruiser used ORI struts. They use air for adjustment and it’s an all in one solution. No springs.
But I do not believe air over suspension will be the route Scout goes.
Things like air leveling are handled with very basic components. My 2004 Lexus GX470 auto levels with heavy loads and trailers, or when I park somewhere off camber. I’ve never had an issue with it.
It uses a similar type of system that semi trucks do. A small arm attaches to the rear axle on each side with a sensor. That sensor tells the compressor which air bag spring is too low or too high and adjusts them accordingly. It’s not as complex as some people make it out to be.
If there is manual adjustment on the shocks I would assume it is for rebound and dampening like most motorcycles and higher end aftermarket shocks offer. This would work with both the air springs or coil springs as they are typically separate systems in the rear.
These are cool, I’d never heard of them!
And while I’m generally hoping that the offroad package doesn’t mandate air suspension, I wouldn’t be opposed to air leveling in the rear. Should be able to double for load leveling and car-camp leveling.
And for this of us who don’t off-road I’m hoping we can get the look without having to buy stuff we will legitimately never use.
I want the offroad package with air.
My past three vehicles had it and the benefits far outweigh the cons.
Never had a failure offroad even under complete articulation with tires stuffed in the wheel wells. My current set are actually “tricked up” 2” in the rear by adding some washers under the sensor to match the 2” Bilstien 6112s I am running up front. They have 21 years and 205k miles on them and counting.
They auto level your roof top tent.
You can dump them, slide the Tow ball under the trailer tongue, and air it back up to grab the trailer and make hitching by yourself a breeze.
If you have kiddos it makes 35”s feel like 31”s if you dump them when you park so they can climb in and out easier.
You can lower them on the trail if you are too close to a tree or rock when you’re off camber.
You can pump them up to climb over large rocks and fallen trees.
They can level the vehicle if you’re off camber and things are getting tippy.
Would love to see a “Loading Mode” that raises the front air bags and lowers the rear to make getting heavier stuff loaded easier. Don’t think anyone else offers that.
I completely understand why people will still choose traditional springs but I am a believer in air and hope it’s an option with the offroad bundle. But it does sound like you can choose either system.
What are your past three vehicles, and what’s the current one? Haven’t heard of anything running traditional shocks +air for offroad.
Also - the biggest sources of my skepticism are :
1. Simplicity/ruggedness of steel vs air (though I know air has improved greatly in the last 20)
2. Speed. My (maybe wrong) understanding is that for low speed off-roading air is fine, with many of the benefits you’ve described. But, for anything faster, it’s suboptimal compared to traditional suspension.
I’m running 6112s right now and am very happy with them, fwiw. Not trying to say everyone needs remote reservoir kings/foxes/etc.
Sounds like another name for "Loading Mode" would be "Carolina Squat Mode".
Imagine if one of the switches on the dash of the Scouts was labeled "Carolina Squat" right out of the factory! I would legit have trouble making my hand reach for that switch the first few times I used it.
1999 Land Cruiser
2011 Lexus GX460
2004 Lexus GX470 (Current)
Each one had air bags I could raise or lower.
Each Lexus had electronically adjustable shocks as well.
The rear lift on the GX’s cost around $1.25 in washers from Ace Hardware. No need to replace the rear shocks (but I did anyways).
Several Toyotas and Lexus vehicles still offer air springs.
Semi trucks are designed to drive 1,000,000 miles. Almost every single of them on the road has air bags. They are exposed to a lot of forces, the elements, and abuse, but aren’t dramatically larger than the ones you’ll find in the vehicles above.
There are companies out there like Air Bag Man that offers air springs that are taller than OEM. Will probably go that route when it’s time to replace my factory ones.
Steel still fatigues. Steel can corrode. Steel springs still need to be replaced after a few decades. It’s rare but steel springs can also just fail and break.
But both will likely last a long time though.
For desert running coilovers win hands down. But we have hauled ass on fire roads and offroad trails loaded with camping gear without blowing a bag and it was a lot smoother than rigs I’ve had with rear coil springs.
If you are seriously pursuing high speeds you’ll be ripping out whatever factory suspension system is in there anyways and shelling out $10,000-$50,000 in long travel suspension.
The 6112s are definitely slept on. For most people they are a great option and will do everything someone needs them to do. I had Old Man Emu and Dobinsons in the past and the Bilsteins run much smoother. They’re cheaper too which is nice. I found a set for $590 on Amazon and jumped on it! Definitely recommend them.
This is pretty awesome --> https://stories.rivian.com/software-update-camping
I can see this being part of Scout's off-road package "optioning" when configuring your truck, BUT I can also see a lot of off-roaders wanting a less complicated, and easier to repair suspension design (without air)... Will be interesting to see if you can choose your preferred suspension set-up (within an off-road offering). Only draw back for me with air is that the expense of maintaining these systems over time and past warranty expiration can be quite high.
I can see this being part of Scout's off-road package "optioning" when configuring your truck, BUT I can also see a lot of off-roaders wanting a less complicated, and easier to repair suspension design (without air)... Will be interesting to see if you can choose your preferred suspension set-up (within an off-road offering). Only draw back for me with air is that the expense of maintaining these systems over time and past warranty expiration can be quite high.
“What it does:
In addition to leveling the R1T and R1S on uneven ground, Camp mode also lets you optimize the vehicles’ energy use while parked, set timers for the charging ports and outlets, turn off the interior displays, turn on a special Camp courtesy mode, and light up your campsite with flood lights in the side mirrors.”
This is really cool! Love that the outlets can be on without having the vehicle “running”. The timer for the outlets and charging port is also really useful.
Edit: sorry I just didn’t know Rivian’s had those features.
Do you by chance know how much Rivian air shocks cost?
Replacements are cheap on my GX470. About $180 a pair for cheap ones or $600 for the lift bags from Air Bag Man.
Ooof. Looks like they are pricey. Even eBay prices are around $500-$1,000 each. I guess that makes sense with them being an IFS/IRS vehicle.
The front air struts on the Scout will probably also be expensive, but the rears could potentially be a lot cheaper if they are using coil spring mounts on the solid axle instead of an all in one strut like the Rivian.
The front air struts on the Scout will probably also be expensive, but the rears could potentially be a lot cheaper if they are using coil spring mounts on the solid axle instead of an all in one strut like the Rivian.
Every R1T and R1S comes with air (and the associated features like Camp Mode or Off-road Mode), so it's not a line item on the configurator.
Also, these systems aren't as easy to service, so part of the expense I was referring to (in addition to parts) would be having to pay out of pocket for repairs on these systems once they are out of warranty.
This is why I don’t think I want air suspension. I know the ride quality is smoother but honestly I would imagine regular suspension on the Traveler is going to be better than the suspension on my current Wrangler.
My favorite ride at Disneyland is Indiana Jones and all I have to do is play that music in my wrangler to feel like I’m on the ride.
Right, but that was also in the context of the severe abuse that suspensions can take off-road.This is why I don’t think I want air suspension. I know the ride quality is smoother but honestly I would imagine regular suspension on the Traveler is going to be better than the suspension on my current Wrangler.
My favorite ride at Disneyland is Indiana Jones and all I have to do is play that music in my wrangler to feel like I’m on the ride.
I believe you stated you were not planning to take your truck off-road, so in that case I might want to have the added comfort of air (since it will take a lot less abuse on-road) AND will provide features like lowering for easy entry/egress, self-leveling, etc.
Again, all trade-offs and considerations!
At the Denver Outside Festival, one of the screen modes was our Camp Mode. With air suspension, we would likely do the same thing.
Right. I was trying to ask how much a replacement would cost. My apologies for not clarifying.
I love the way it lets you know how many Days, Hours & Minutes are left on the battery.
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